Paul Gofo Gindiri 1935-1996. (3)

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After the dream, Paul Gindiri bought two Hausa Bibles and two Hausa hymn books, for his wife and himself. ECWA Bishara 1 had a revival service and Lami invited her husband. The preacher that day seemed to speak directly to Paul who thought Lami had gone and talked to the preacher about him. The next Sunday another preacher said similar things that convicted him. He could hardly wait for the altar call and was the first and only one who raised his hand in response. After his conversion, Rev. Kure Nitte, the pastor of the church, discipled him. To show his conversion was genuine, Paul Gindiri publicly confessed his involvement in occult practices. One particular Sunday, Paul Gindiri brought all the objects he had used in his occult practices and they were burned on the church premises.

Turning to Muslim passers-by who had stopped to watch the fire, Paul Gindiri roared at them, “It is your religion that has cheated me and led me into all these evil deeds. Your religion has no truth and unless you repent, you are bound for hell fire!” Paul Gindiri was subsequently baptized into the ECWA Bishara 1 in 1962. He became an elder in the church ten years later and acted most of the time as treasurer until his death.
Later Paul Gindiri enrolled for private tutoring in evangelism under Rev. J. A. Jacobson, an SIM missionary. He was trained in basic Arabic. With this basic training, he began to preach in the streets of Jos specifically to Muslims.

On weekends, Paul Gindiri would preach in Muslim communities and in the Jos market where there were many Muslim traders. He was glad to learn that there was an SIM missionary, Dr. Andrew Stirrett, whose passion was the conversion of Muslims and who had made the Jos market his preaching center from the 1920s until his death in 1948.
Paul Gindiri also found the newly established New Life For All (NLFA) suitable for his type of ministry to Muslims. The NLFA was founded by the Rev. Gerald Swank, another SIM missionary, for mobilisation of all church members in the churches in northern Nigeria for evangelism, especially to Muslims. Paul Gindiri founded the Gospel Team as a branch NLFA and which was under his control.

NLFA became synonymous with Paul Gindiri to such an extent that he was called Sabaon Rai (i.e. New Life). A song was created and sung at all preaching sessions. This song became Paul Gindiri’s favourite. The song goes like this in Hausa:
"Rai donin kowa......."
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